Yahoo Lifestyle ‘Hot Frosty’ Review: Lacey Chabert Trades Fruitcake for Beefcake in Netflix’s Heartwarming Holiday Romp
Shaking up holiday traditions in irreverently welcome ways, director Jerry Ciccoritti and writer Russell Hainline’s “Hot Frosty” redesigns the look and feel of the familiar snow-made showcase. Their story, centered on a wishful widow who magically transforms a snowman into a hunky rube, balances its sillier aspects with a touching sense of sincerity. They do away with the cartoonish character’s corncob pipe, coal eyes and rotund body, replacing these features with beefy biceps, chiseled bone structure and sculpted abs. The narrative delivers some refreshing highlights for the benefit of Netflix’s Holiday Cinematic Universe, specifically acknowledging its target audience’s yearning for a sprinkling of cheeky, wanton lust alongside its gentle yet genuine dramatics.
To set the tone, the camera pivots in its opening descent upon the picturesque town of Hope Springs, from a quaint two-story decked out in festive decor to an undecorated neighboring house where Kathy (Lacey Chabert) dwells. She’s a mess, and so is her home. It’s in extreme disarray with busted central heating, a sinkhole in the staircase, a leaky roof and take-out containers strewn all around. Perhaps this is the physical manifestation of the ongoing grief from losing her repairman husband to cancer years prior. Still, her thoughtful spirit hasn’t been broken as she takes pride in caring for her clientele at Kathy’s Kafe (a small-town diner so kooky that “cafe” warrants spelling with a “k”).
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In the days before Christmas, Kathy’s married friends repay her kindness with a red cozy scarf, hoping it’ll bring her some extra cheer and seasonal magic. And sure enough, it does. Kathy wraps it around an unconventional snowman sculpture in the center square, and, in the middle of the night as snowflakes swirl and magical chimes tinkle on the soundtrack, he’s transformed into a naked hot dude named Jack (Dustin Milligan). Kathy takes pity on him, feeling she’s at fault, and lets him stay at her home. He’s warmly welcomed by the other women in town, but the calamity he caused on his first night leads to a frosty reception from Sheriff Hunter (Craig Robinson) and Deputy Schatz (Joe Lo Truglio). Yet time and temperature aren’t on the potential couple’s side. Kathy is forced to decide whether to stay frozen when it comes to romance or to thaw her heart.
Though much of this might read like a “Splash” redux, this festive film’s finer details go beyond its predecessor, thanks to some added charm and ingenuity. Its meet-cute and satisfying resolution are all tightened for maximum efficiency. Instead of blatantly objectifying its leading man, there’s shrewd reasoning to all the ogling: He gets too hot with clothes on. Jack’s fish-out-of-water circumstances, while indeed funny, mostly revolve around the hubba-hubba factor of him being shirtless at inappropriate times: streaking across town in front of elderly citizens, almost unwittingly stripping in front of Kathy and doffing his shirt in frigid outdoor weather, which causes a horny woman (Lauren Holly) to get in an accident. A gender-flipped makeover montage isn’t necessarily the refreshing game-changer it once was for the rom-com genre. But as a “Pretty Woman” spoof, it’s likely to win over the most cynical of viewers.
Conflicts and conundrums don’t overstay their welcome, nor do they overcomplicate themselves. Jack doesn’t solely exist to aid Kathy’s arc and vice versa. They both complement and rescue each other from varying degrees of peril: She helps him stay freezing, and thus alive, and he helps her allow love back into her life. From her internal struggle — as her romantic drive is reflected by the home’s thermostat — to an inspired pull from “It’s A Wonderful Life,” the film’s earnest qualities feel resonant even within a heighted comedic atmosphere.
Eagle-eyed fans of the NHCU will assuredly have a good time spotting all the callbacks intelligently incorporated throughout. Not only does it allude to the home country in “The Christmas Prince” and nod to “Single All the Way,” but it’s smart enough to earn chuckles by dropping two movie references at once in a self-aware joke from Chabert after she sees her “Mean Girls” co-star Lindsay Lohan in “Falling for Christmas.”
Chabert, having recently abdicated the throne as the reigning queen of Hallmark movies, nimbly negotiates the broader comedic tones of the material, grounding the magical realism in emotional honesty. She gifts her protagonist with deep wells of wisdom, perseverance and vulnerability. Milligan turns in a muscular performance, channeling naive innocence with dashing wit and a compelling command, outfitting his character with a bright interiority. Although Katy Mixon Greer is dealt short shrift in her supporting role as Kathy’s friend Doctor Dottie, Lo Truglio’s doofy cop shtick augments the proceedings. Robinson is also funny as the foe, but he has the misfortune of pulling off the film’s weakest scene when his character mistakes simple wordplay for a metaphor.
Underneath the gimmicky title of “Hot Frosty” lies a sweet, disarming feature about healing from tragedy. It’s also just a goofy, lovable no-brainer to click play on when craving escapism. Heartfelt sentiments coupled with a musical boost from Coldplay on the soundtrack make for a fun, saucy secret-Santa gift with a soul.
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